LOCATION
Located in Saitama prefecture, Chichibu area, Yokoze is a small town with the population of 8,400. In “CLASS for CREATING MYSELF”, a dozen of teenagers who grew up in this area came together to create a story in association with the town. The stories were co-created based on keywords related to the area, which we hope brings up the students some memories of their home town when they grow up.
Former Ashigakubo School Building
A small school building standing in between mountains, closed in 2008. Retaining its nostalgic appearance, the place is often used as a shooting site for movies, drama series, and event sites. Equipped with Wi-Fi and projectors, it is also a great place for holding workshops.
Waterpark Shirayama
A water park around a stream of Yokoze River. With the calm stream, it is a family-friendly water park. The sedimentary rocks by the river indicate that this location used to be under the ocean, and is designated as national natural treasure.
Chichibu’s 5th Pilgrimage Site (Gokado）
This is a temple that issues Japanese paper talisman for pilgrimages. It is believed that this place was named “Gokado” (Temple of Poetry) after an episode of a poet mastering the art of Japanese poetry while spending a night with a travelling priest.
Yokoze Elementary School
The only elementary school in the town. The wooden building established in 1933, is still used for the students’ classes. The location was right outside the school beneath the great Mt. Buko, the roads where the children pass to commute every day.
Terasaka Tanada
The largest rice terraces in Saitama. It lays in front of a backdrop of ream of mountains around Mt. Buko. It shows a different face for every season, such as rice-planting in the early summer, golden ear of rice in the autumn, and cluster amaryllis.
Cultivated Fields
A beautiful location where rice plant fields extends towards Mt. Buko., a mountain which is respected locally. Located right next to Hanasaki Yama, the view from both below and above Hanasaki Yama shows the beautiful countryside scenery.
Hanasaki Yama (provisional name)
The location is under a project where the community members, students, tourists and corporates work together to revitalize the desolated mountain. It is on the way to become a beautiful park where flowers blossom and people gather together.
Seven Eleven Yokozemachi
The-go-to convenience store for food. drinks, fuel & more. It is one of the few convenience stores in the town where the students and locals use daily.